Federal government officials appear to be breaking Canadian law by revealing the identities of those who seek documents under the Access to Information Act, a newspaper reported Wednesday.
Revealing the names of people requesting documents under the Act is illegal under the Privacy Act, which is designed to protect requesters from reprisals.
However, the Montreal Gazette claims the identities of some requesters have been shared among government departments -- including the Prime Minister's Office.
Documents obtained by the Gazette under the Access to Information Act show that in one case, the name of a reporter about to receive documents under the act was revealed during a telephone conference call among federal government officials.
The reporter's name was disclosed by an official working on behalf of the Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Department, the Gazette reports.
The newspaper says documents show that officials from at least eight departments were involved in the telephone call and minutes of the meeting were sent to 19 other people -- including Stephen Harper's communications director Sandra Buckler.
Deputy information commissioner Alan Leadbeater told the Gazette there had been other cases of confidentiality violations --particularly when there was a concern that the information could result in embarrassing questions to a cabinet minister.
"We see situations where representatives from the minister's office will meet on a regular basis, sometimes weekly, with the access to information people to find out what access requests have been received and what material is being released, and in the course of those meetings there is a tendency to share with the minister's staff the identities of the requesters," Leadbeater was quoted as saying by the Gazette.
Revealing the name can have adverse consequences for the requester, he added, citing the case of one deputy minister who called a requester and made a threat.
Leadbeater said the law makes it clear that the identity of requesters is supposed to be confidential.
That deputy minister should be fired and charged. What a bunch of paranoid thugs.
The phantorino wrote:..terrorism and national security cards in 3...2...1
Don't be so cynical...
...the Tories can still get a little mileage out of the "Great Canadian Gay Marriage Threat" before they feel
they need to resort to "Al Queda On Our Doorstep!".
rock rock to the planet rock ... don't stop
Felix wrote:you've become very bitter since you became jewish......
Kierland drop-kicking Wolftard wrote:
Aren’t you part of the silent generation?
Why don’t you just STFU.
..and don't forget the soon to be relaeased "Made-In_Canada Environment policy, too" after all, Kyoto was damaging our business sector. Putzes. I actually learned last night that ambrose will be concentrating on 'the changing environment', and how to cut down on smog in a program that 'All canadians' will be driving', so not only do they admit that the country is in grave danger of losing it's natural resources, they are also going to download the responsibility for it to save some money.
If they are aren't carefull, there won't be any water left for the Americans to invade us for in about 20 years.
Luther Wrote:
a butt load of people who sit in those small cubicles pretending to work while submitting a "take."
